To Love a Royal
by RedRosePetal
Summary: True love waits. That statement Mana holds close to her heart and will always stand by her. Although she has always had to wait for her love she always will because... true love always waits.
1. Chapter 1

This will be my shipping fic if you will!

Before you ask this will have vaseshipping in it.. later

I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

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**Chapter One - Three Years Old**

"Prince! Come back here at once!"

The little Prince ran as fast as any three year old can down the corridor. The guard who was on 'Prince Watch' duty came running after him. The Prince giggled as he ran but he was too occupied by giggling to concentrate on continuing to run. His left foot got caught by his right and the Prince toppled over hitting the floor with a 'thump'. As the Prince was only a child, the impact from the floor made him cry. It was not that he was hurt, the shock was the thing that made him cry. The guard soon scooped the Prince up and replaced him onto his feet. But the Prince did not stop crying, so the guard did what he was meant to do in this situation. Taking the small Prince by the hand, they made their way to the Throne room. The Pharaoh would be in session with the scared court now and the only interruption he would allow was when his son was upset.

As they entered the room, the Pharaoh looked over and, upon seeing his son, stood waiting for the guard to draw level with him. The Prince let go of the guard's hand and ran the remaining short distance to his father. The Pharaoh picked the crying Prince up and held him close. He didn't want to know why the Prince was upset, he would just do his job as a father.

"We shall finish this court meeting later." The Pharaoh stated, before he left the room with the Prince still in his arms.

The Pharaoh walked down one of the corridors, the Prince was still in his arms.

"Come my boy, there's no need to cry."

He wiped his son's tears away with one finger. He felt his son snuggle closer to him. Continuing on through the corridors the Pharaoh took his son out in to one of the many gardens. Popping the Prince back on the ground, he watched the Prince potter about in the garden. Watching his son play round in the garden got the Pharaoh thinking. The Prince really needed someone to play with, that would stop him from being chased around by the guards. Sitting on a beach he was deep in thought, occasionally he was presented with various objects from his son and he took them wordlessly.

"Atem." His son looked around, "Come here, son."

The Prince came without question looking with curious eyes at his father.

"How would you like someone to play with?"

"Someone to play with me?" The Prince repeated.

The Pharaoh nodded. The Prince thought for a moment.

"Not one of those people with the wooden sticks?"

The Pharaoh chuckled, "No, not one of the guards, but they will be watching."

At that point the small Prince lost his concentration on his father's world and took to pulling the Pharaoh's fingers in a playful manner. The Pharaoh, however, still had a lot on his mind. He did know that he was going to find a 'play-mate' for his son but where to look. Sighing, he stood. He needed to talk to Shimon even though he would object. Walking away he turned back and called to the Prince who, again, came without question. The Pharaoh walked in the direction of the throne room with the Prince trotting along beside him. Shimon was still in the throne room at and looked in the direction of the approaching Pharaoh, with Prince following behind. At once the Pharaoh began to explain his proposal to Shimon who, as suspected, was not convinced by this. But gradually he came round.

The Prince trotted around the room, he came to some steps he saw a whole golden object at the top. Climbing the stairs, the Prince came across the huge thing. He remembered that he'd seen his father sitting there, so he reached up and somehow managed to pull himself up and onto the 'chair'. Once there the little Prince watched his father and waited for his reaction. Shimon was the first to notice the Prince, technically speaking no one but the current Pharaoh was allowed to sit there. The Pharaoh turned having noticed Shimon's look but instead of telling the Prince off he just laughed.

"Have you taken my throne, my boy?"

The Prince giggled and reached out to his father, who came and picked him up.

"Come on son, let me find you someone to play with."

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It only took two days to find the child who was to play with the Pharaoh. The girl was a few months younger then the Prince and lived with her mother in the poorest part of town. But having been chosen to be the Prince 'play-mate' they had been moved into the palace. The sun was shining down as the two children were playing. The brown haired girl ran over to a bush and pointed to a flower.

"Look! Blue!"

The Prince walked over and giggled, "That no flower. Flowers' are not blue."

A bird flew over head, "Look Prince! I'm a bird!"

The girl held out her arms and ran around the little garden. The Prince followed suit and both three year olds ran around and around the garden.

The women watched the two children with a small smile. As they rushed past the women the Prince tripped over and fell, with a bump, to the ground. The women gasped and was quick to lift the Prince back to his feet. But when she went to let go of the Prince's hand she found that the Prince continued to grasp her hand. She smiled slightly at this action but she knew that this was wrong. Fear trickled into her veins as she had approaching footsteps. Looking up she gasped.

"My Pharaoh! I do apologise! The Prince, he fell and I couldn't help myself. I jus-"

The Pharaoh held up a hand, "Do not worry, I don't mind. I understand that feeling when a child falls even if it's not your own. Besides, my son likes you."

The Pharaoh observed his son, and smiled. He seemed very content with the women which of course was a good thing. Apparently the Prince had just noticed his father as he let go over the women and went to his father, holding his arms up to him. The Pharaoh smiled and picked his son up. The women smiled at the scene but then there was a cry followed by;

"MOMMA!"

The women rushed over to her daughter and picked the crying girl up.

"Oh Mana, there now. You're ok, just a bump."

The Pharaoh walked over to them, with the Prince in arms; "Is she alright?"

The women nodded, "I think they're both tired, they've had a lot of fun together today."

The Pharaoh smiled, "Good, I'm glad. Come now Atem, let's get you to bed you can have more fun in the morning.

With that the Pharaoh turned and walked away, the little Prince looked back at his new friend and waved. Mana waved back.

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Well, I hope that was worth the wait.

Yeah, the shipping will come later it's all part of this fic plan. But I do hope you enjoyed the first chapter!

Please review and tell me what you thought :) If it is good or bad I don't mind :)

Oh, the some of Atem's speech in there might seem like a grammar mistake or something but that's how 3 year olds would speak.. So please don't shoot me :P

Thanks for reading, I shall update as soon as I can! :D


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to my reviewers! **kate, SerenePanic, dark yugi girl, Atem-Fan4eva, Akai22878**

I'm sorry I took awhile... I've been super busy..

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Two - Seven Years Old**

The midday sun shone high in the sky, casting its rays down on the palace and made the garden, where two seven year olds were playing, very bright. The girl sprinted after the boy her hand outstretched the whole time. If the boy was not constantly changing direction she would have caught him by now. But no he was still changing direction so she was not, by the looks of things, ever going to catch him. There was a slight hill approaching the running pair and the Prince, foolishly, did not run up the hill. Meaning that Mana ran up the hill and then used the momentum given to her by running down the hill to catch the Prince.

"Tag!" She cried, before turning and racing off in the other direction.

The was a noticeable groan from the Prince before he spun round and began to chase Mana.

It didn't take long for the Prince to catch Mana again. This game went on for a long time before the arrival of a newcomer. The two seven year olds greeted the newcomer warmly running up to him.

"Mahad! Mahad! Come on! Play tag with us!" Mana cried.

The ten year old trainee magician sat on a nearby bench and looked at the other two.

"No, I'll watch you."

"Ahh, come on Mahad." Mana whined, "You're no fun."

"I am fun, I just don't want to play this game."

Mana and the Prince exchanged a look, the same thought had crossed their minds. In perfect timing with each other, they began poking Mahad and crying out 'Tag! Tag! Tag!'. This went on for a couple of minutes before;

"Alright! Alright! I'll play."

The Prince and Mana exchanged a quick high five before Atem tapped Mahad saying 'Tag!'.

The three children chased around for a while, as there was no three of them the tides of their game turned very quickly. But they did become tired and bored of this game so they decided to play another game. A simple game. A game of hide and seek. Mahad counted first while Mana and the Prince hid. The Prince happened to be very good at this game so he was always found last. This game seemed wear them out completely as they now lay on their backs staring up at the cloudless sky.

"Where have all the clouds gone?" Mana asked.

"Maybe there're hiding." The Prince shrugged.

"Will they come back?" Mana asked, apparently worried.

Mahad laughed, "Of course they will."

"Hey, Mahad! Show us some of your magic!" Mana cried.

Both seven year olds sat up and looked at Mahad with pleading eyes.

Mahad sighed, "Alright."

He extended his arms and held his palms flat, face up. A small ball of purple light appeared in the palm of his hand. The other two were fascinated by what they were seeing. Mana stretch out her hand to touch it but Mahad drew away.

"Don't touch it."

"Why?

"I don't really know what it does.."

Mana was fascinated, "But still I want to know how to do it."

The Prince was fascinated as well, but he was more of being fascinated by thinking it rather than voicing it. They watched Mahad perform magic tricks for a while, but then sounds of footsteps made them turn round. The Pharaoh was coming towards them, Mahad and Mana knelt in respect to the Pharaoh. As the Prince was _the Prince_ he did not have to kneel down to show respect*.

"Atem come, there are things we must do."

The Prince frowned and exchanged a look with Mana before he followed his father. His father led him into a room which had two desks and shelves full of scrolls of paper. Atem stared around before approaching one of the shelves.

"What is all this, father?"

"It's everything that a Pharaoh needs to run this great nation."

Atem turned his attention back to the shelves but his father directed him to sit down. He did and his father began to tell him all about the responsibilities of a Pharaoh. Atem was really confused, he wasn't sure what was going on.

"But father, why do I need to know this?"

"Because one day you will be Pharaoh."

"I know.. but why?"

"I started learning all this at your age, trust me my son. You need to know this."

Atem was beginning to get upset, "But.. -"

But his father shook his head and continued what he was saying. Atem couldn't hide his tears. He didn't want to be here, he didn't need to know this just yet.

After what seemed like forever it all got too much for the Prince. He just wanted to get out of there, his tears were still falling. A moment came when his father's back was turned, Atem bolted from the chair and out of the room. He heard the cry of his father but he kept running. He didn't want to be there learning things that he didn't need to know. He ran all the way to his room once there he threw himself onto his bed and putted the covers over him. He heard the door open and a weight on his bed. But he did not emerge from the covers. A hand stroked his back;

"There's no need to cry my son. I know that you don't want to know this but you do."

No response from the Prince. The Pharaoh sighed, leaning down he putted the covers off his son's tear strained face and planted a kiss on his forehead. He then stood and left the room, he would try again later. The Prince didn't move. He just stayed under the covers. A short time later the door opened again.

"Why are you under the covers?"

No response.

"Prince! Why are you under the covers?"

No response.

"Don't make me jump on you."

Nothing.

"Ok then."

Mana took a running leap and jumped onto the bed, landing right on top of the Prince. But still the Prince did not move, only continued to let the tears gently fall.

"Why are you crying?"

Still nothing, Mana sighed and lay close next to the Prince, pulling the covers to cover her as well. She just lay there, next to Prince.

Much later the Pharaoh came back to find the two friends both fast asleep next to each other under the covers. Normally, it would be an offense for someone other then the Prince to sleep in that bed but the Pharaoh didn't mind. It was a very sweet scene before him and he did not want to ruin it. The Pharaoh smiled gently before leaving the room and closing the door quietly, not letting any noise disturb them.

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Well, that took me awhile.

Please review, tell me what you think! :D

I will try to get the next one up quicker but that might not happen xD

*Yeah um... just go with it xD

Follow me on Facebook!

Thanks for reading, see you soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to my reviewers! **Akai22878, SerenePanic, Aqua girl 007**

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Three - Ten Years Old**

The early morning sun gently shone and two ten years old sat on the balcony with their feet hanging over the edge. Now that the pair was ten, they fair to old to be playing such childish games. Although they could not deny that they sometimes did childish things. For example, currently Mana was swinging her legs as they gazed around.

"So, what shall we do today?" The Prince asked.

"We could... practice magic!" Mana said.

"We did that yesterday."

"Not for very long!"

"But still!"

Mana thought for a moment;

"We could play hide and seek."

The Prince made a disapproving noise with his mouth, "We are mature ten years olds Mana. We don't play child games.

Mana threw her hands in the air, "Then what do we do! Mahad in his magic lesson and we can't leave the palace."

"We could play tricks on the guards."

Mana shook her head, "They know it's us now."

Silence fell between them for a moment before the Prince spoke again;

"I haven't got much time before my father's lesson."

Mana sighed. The Prince now had lessons with his father every day since that first lesson when they had been seven years old. So their time together was limited but they still did spend most of the time they had together.

The Prince sighed, "I really wish that I didn't have to learn all that stuff.. at least not yet. I'm still young and father's not going anywhere for a long time. But.. maybe its for the best that I learn now.. Maybe it will make me a good Pharaoh.."

Atem trailed off, lost in his own thoughts. Mana gazed at him and internally sighed. The Prince had become a lot more serious and mature since his father had begun these lessons. Mana then came up with a something. The Prince was stressed and needed some time just to relax. Looking over Mana spotted the River Nile.

"Hey! Why don't we go to the River Nile!"

"Father, will never let me go."

"You can ask though! You never know he might say yes. I mean you've been working so hard and you deserve a break. Just ask him."

"But Mana these no guarantee that he'll say yes."

"There's no guarantee that he'll say no."

Atem sighed, "Fine, I'll ask."

Climbing off the balcony, the Prince made his way inside the palace. Although he was not actually sure where his father was. Finding a guard the Prince asked and discovered that the Pharaoh was in the gardens. The Prince thanked him and made his way to the garden. Once there he located his father, taking a deep breath he tried to word his request in his mind. Deciding that he would just have to wing it he walked towards his father.

"Good Morning Son, how did you sleep?"

"Very well father and you?"

"Very well thank you son."

Atem nodded and took a deep breath, "Father?"

The Pharaoh looked at his son, a silent request to continue;

"Could... Could we take a trip to the Nile?"

"Why do you want to go there?"

"I.. we haven't be out of the palace in ages."

The Pharaoh knew who 'we' were. But to be fair the Prince had been working so hard lately and it was true that he had not been out of the palace in a long time. The Pharaoh paused for dramatic effect before saying;

"Ok then, you can go but I'll come too. I think we both could use a little outing."

It was possible to see the Prince's face light up when he'd agreed. Immediately the Prince ran off, of course to inform Mana about the news. The Pharaoh as he watched his son race away with a bright smile which hadn't been seen in a while.

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"One... two... THREE!"

The three children raced each other to the water's edge. Of course Mahad, being the oldest, won because of his long legs. They splashed into the water sending water everywhere, even a guard standing at the water got wet. Immediately they began throwing water over each other. Within a matter of minutes they were all soaking and so was a rather disgruntled guard. But they continued to throw the water around.

The Pharaoh watched his son play with a gentle smile on his face. His son had worked so hard lately and made so much progress, he deserved this. He deserved to get away from it all for a while. He watched the three children play their games. Laughed at the irritated wet guard and when Atem was pushed over. His heart swelled as Atem flashed him a truly gorgeous, sweet smile. The smile said everything.. 'Thank you' 'I'm having so much fun' 'can we do this again'.

The time raced and soon, too soon, they had to return back to the palace. Mana skipped beside the Prince;

"That was so much fun, we should do it again."

"Yeah but next time just the two of us." Atem said.

"The two of us?"

"Yes."

"Just us alone?"

The Prince nodded and Mana had to hid her blush. But after a short moment they began to discuss how in the name of Ra they would manage to sneak out of the palace. Let alone get to the Nile without the guards spotting them. This might take them awhile... a long while.

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Did you like?

I hope so!

I did make Atem seem more mature than his years because well.. that's generally how he is.. right?

Please review and tell me what you thought! :D

I thank you for reading!

OH! I'm going to 'advertise' something.. I am co-writing a story with** Akai22878**! It is called 'Internal Struggles'! I am quite excited and it is some new and in some ways doing some different to my usual stuff... So I hope you will enjoy it..

Internal Struggles will be released on the **19th November**. It will be posted on **Akai22878**'s profile so if you want to read it go there to find it. :D


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to my reviewers! **SerenePanic, dark yugi girl, Aqua girl 007, Akai22878, AnimeGirl4891, Atem-Fan4eva**

A comment from a review made me laugh .. "Atem got a little saucy towards the end" XD Yeah, Atem was a very saucy ten year old XD Made all the girls swoon ;P

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Four - Thirteen Years Old**

"Shh! Mana! They'll hear us."

"Sorry.. I just can't believe we're actually going to pull this off!"

The Prince 'shhhed' her again, the guards were nearby and the last thing they needed was to be heard by someone. Hiding round a corner from the gates, the Prince peeped to see if the coast was clear. The changing of the guard was soon and that would leave the gates unattended so they could just slip out. Behind him Mana kept giggling. Atem 'shhhed' her again but she kept giggling. The moment was coming up soon and they had to time it right.

Soon...

...Almost there...

Now!

Atem grabbed Mana by the hand and sprinted to the gates. Together they pushed the gates open, ran through and closed it behind them before running off. The Prince grabbed hold of Mana's hand again, not that she needed him to. Just.. he felt that he should. They ran through the town, Mana was still giggling.

"We did it Atem!"

"Not yet, we have to get to the river before we can say that."

Mana giggled again. They both continued to run, neither letting go of the other's hand. They were lucky that they didn't get seen by any of the people in the town as they ran. Well, it was quite early in the morning so there was barely anyone around. The river came in view and both teenagers let out a cry of relief, they'd made it.

Coming to a halt at the brow of the hill they gazed down at the river Nile. They made a promise to come back here alone when they were ten and many previous attempts to come here had failed. Finally, they'd made it. Looking at each other they smirked and ran down the hill. Both were trying to beat each other to get down the hill first. But, unfortunately, they were still holding hands and so when the Prince tripped he pulled Mana down with him. Rolling down the hill they came to a stop at the bottom, where Mana found herself lying on top of the Prince.

"I think I won that, Prince."

The Prince made a 'pwwf' noise; "I totally got down here first."

Mana raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" She indicated the water with her head, "First one there is the ultimate winner of... everything."

There was a split second delay before both teens scrambled to their feet and raced towards the water's edge. Splashing in the water, like that had done when they were younger. They then chased each other in the water. The Prince at one point was chasing Mana, he grabbed her by the waist and spun her round.

They had their fun but there was a movement in the water. Both teens stopped and watched the water, the Prince took up a protective position in front of Mana. Out of nowhere an, apparently, angry alligator splashed out of the water. Atem automatically moved backwards and pushed Mana away. In their haste to move out of harm's way they did not see the rocks behind them. They fell but automatically tried to move away. But the alligator kept coming, it got closer and closer. Too fast for the two teens. The alligator managed to take a nasty bite of the Prince's arm. Atem bit back a cry of pain and kicked the alligator making it release his arm. Scrambling to his feet, he raced off and grabbed Mana by the hand as he went. They ran. Thankfully, the alligator did not follow.

Once there were far enough away they stopped.

"That was scary!" Mana said, she was shaking slightly.

Atem took a calming breath and pulled Mana into a hug, "I know, but it's over now."

Mana pulled away and examined the Prince's arm;

"My Prince, your bleeding. How are we going to explain this?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll say that I fell."

"Will the Pharaoh believe that?"

Atem sighed, "There's only one way to find out."

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To both of their relief and disbelief the Pharaoh actually bought the story that the Prince had fallen and injured his arm. Having been sent off to the infirmary to have his arm bandaged, Mana went off and found her mother. She went straight in for a hug and ended up having an in depth conversation about her friendship with the Prince.

"So.. do you think of him as more than friend?"

"Um, maybe I'm not sure."

Her mother said nothing, just gave her a look.

"Well, I guess. He.. he's cute, funny and handsome. I mean.. his eyes! There the weirdest colour but I like it.. Then there's the fact we have so much fun together! He's my best friend!"

"But maybe he's more than that."

Her mother left her to ponder that question and she did long into the night.

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The Prince found it hard to forget what had happened the previous day. Not the whole encounter with that alligator. No, it was the fun he and Mana had been having before that had happened. The Prince could not forget the look on her face as they had played. The way her hair blew in the wind, the bright sparkle in her eyes. And... her smile. It was the best he'd ever seen and he'd give anything to watch her smile all day. But Mana was a friend.. right? But maybe there's more there.. maybe there is. If so then he should act! The Prince couldn't help but wonder whether Mana was thinking this as well.

'I'll ask her.' he thought.

But.. what if she didn't and that ruined their friendship. What to do? That is the question. Is there something more between him and Mana.

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I hope that last part makes sense because reading it I'm like... what? But I think it makes sense...

Is that enough vaseshipping fluffy cuteness for you ;P

Please review because I made cake ;)

Oh! Reminder! On Monday 'Internal Struggles' will be released! This is the ficlet I am writing with Akai22878! Go to her profile if you would like to read it! :D

Thanks for reading! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to my reviewers! **Anevay (x4), SerenePanic, AnimeGirl4891, Akai22878**

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

No pun intended on the chapter number and title.. just happened... my bad! ...? I wrote that a few days ago and now don't get the pun? What pun? ...? What was I thinking?!

Anyway...

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Five - Fifteen Years Old**

The Pharaoh had fallen ill. Succumbed to an illness to which there was no known cure. It had happened so quickly that no one could have predicted it. He had been fine one day then the next he was so weak that he could not get up from his bed. The priests had panicked as they were at a loss of what to do. They had sent for both the Prince and the healers. The fifteen year old Prince arrived first with a worried expression on his face. Once he had been told he raced off, running all the way to his father. He didn't bother to knock or anything when he arrived. His father was sleeping when he'd arrived, so the Prince had sat on the end of the bed and waited.

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Atem shifted his position slightly and examined the puzzle more closely. Tracing the finger on the eye craved on the item, he sighed and looked down at the sleeping figure. His father had been like this for almost a week, he had been awake sometimes and always was pleased to see his son sitting there. But there were no signs of recovery from the Pharaoh at all and this worried the Prince. He had thought that maybe his father would not recover and that would mean he would become the Pharaoh. But there was no way that could happen, he wasn't ready to be Pharaoh. He still needed his father.

The bed moved slightly and Atem looked down, his father had woken. Looking up the Pharaoh smiled at his son.

"Are you still here?"

Atem nodded, "I'm not going to leave."

"Really my boy, that's very sweet of you but you should rest."

"I do rest father, but I will not leave you."

The Pharaoh coughed before speaking again, his voice was now a bit hoarse.

"But you're going to have to."

"What?"

"You're going to have to get used to me not being there. I won't be here much longer."

"No! Don't say that father! You will get better for this!"

The Pharaoh shook his head and took hold of his son's trembling hand.

"I want you to know Atem that I love you and you are going to be a great Pharaoh."

"Stop it father!"

"I am so proud of what you have achieved."

"Father!"

"I'm always with you, my son."

Tears streamed from the Prince's face, he curled up next to his father and felt him gently stroking his back. Atem sobbed into his father's shoulder. The Pharaoh tried to calm the prince down, he gently 'shhed' him and continued stroking his back. Eventually both the Pharaoh and Prince fell asleep for sheer exhaustion. With one arm around his son it was the perfect scene, a perfect father son moment.

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Atem felt someone gently shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes wearily and saw that it was Isis who was gently waking him.

"Come on Atem, let's get you out of here."

She spoke so gently and wore a reassuring smile on her face. Atem looked round at father whose face was very pale and .. still.

"Father?" he called.

His father didn't respond, he didn't respond when Atem shook his shoulder either. Again, the Prince was crying again as he desperately tried to wake his father. Isis called to him gently,

"There's nothing you can do now, he's at peace."

"No!"

Isis once again tried to get Atem to come of his own accord be he seemed too distressed. Isis sighed, she completely sympathised with him but he needed to get away from here. There was also the fact that the Prince was now the Pharaoh, but this was not the time to tell him. Gently she leant over and wrapped an arm around Atem's chest, slowly and carefully pulling him away. Of course Atem fought her grip and tears leaked from his eyes, but Isis didn't loosen her grip. Once he was on his feet he tried to pull Isis's arm off him. Isis gently led or rather half-dragged the former Prince out of the room while Atem cried out to his father.

Isis took the new Pharaoh to his room, once he was there she set the Millennium Puzzle on a stray table. She made to leave the room but looked round at the last moment. The new Pharaoh was weeping, curled up against a wall. She sighed, she was told that they had to leave the new Pharaoh to grieve but the new Pharaoh was still only fifteen. A boy and he'd just lost his father. He needed someone. But she sighed and left the room.

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Nearly two hours later the guardians were gathered outside the new Pharaoh's room, who had not emerged the whole time. None of them went in as they wanted to give their new King space for a while. So, they paced back and forth.. waiting.

Mana walked over to where the priests and looked at them.

"Have none of you gone in?"

Mahad shook his head; "He will needs space."

Mana sighed and muttered;

"That's the last thing he needs."

Ignoring the shouts of protest from the priest she walked into Atem's room. As she shut the door the first sound she heard was harsh breathing, Walking over to Atem, Mana discovered that he was on the verge of hyperventilating because of all the crying he'd done. Swiftly, Mana pulled Atem into a hug and rubbed the heel of her hand into his back. She did this for a couple of minutes before she felt Atem relaxing slightly. Although his body relaxed the new Pharaoh was still crying and shaking. Mana gently rocked him back and forth, she kissed his cheek as she rocked him.

"My.. my father is dead."

"I know.." Mana said, gently.

More sobs were emitted and Atem tightened his hold on Mana.

"Hey, it's alright. You'll be alright." Mana said, gently, still rocking him.

For a few more minutes they stayed on the floor, before Mana gently helped Atem to his feet. Leading him over to his bed and gently tucking him in before climbing in herself and wrapping an arm around the new King. Atem 'snuggled' in close to Mana and closed his eyes. Mana gently kissed his lips. It was a short kiss but it gave comfort to the new king. As the new Pharaoh slowly drifted off to sleep in Mana's arms, Mana ran her fingers through his hair. She had never seen him so upset but she knew that when he was upset the last thing that he needed was to be all along. Leaning down she planted another kiss on Atem's lips. Before she too settled down and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

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A few days passed but the new Pharaoh had fallen 'ill'. But this was not a illness, it was that Atem was still in shock from what had happened. No one could really blame him, he had never known his mother as she died after he was born. But now... now his father was gone as well. Mana stayed with him the whole time, only leaving his side while he was sleeping and only for a brief moment. Slowly but steadily, Atem began to 'recover' with Mana's support and a week after the death of his father Atem was ready to begin his duty as Pharaoh. Without Mana's help, who knows if the new Pharaoh would have snapped out of it.

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Lame ending but yeah..

Man, I've only got two more chapters of this :( Sad? I KNOW! :(

Well, please review or whatever :D

Oh! Follow me on Facebook!

If you want check out the co written fic I'm doing with Akai22878. It's on her profile and is called 'Internal Struggles' but you don't have to :)

Thanks for reading I shall see you soon!


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to my reviewers! **SerenePanic, Aqua girl 007, AnimeGirl4891, butterflybg, Akai22878**

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Six - Seventeen Years Old**

The whole ground shook as the heavy footsteps of the beast came steadily closer to the kingdom. This great black creature, named Zorc, was raining attacks down on the kingdom. The once thriving kingdom was being reduced to rubble, the people fled screaming in terror. Only two of the guardians of the Millennium Items were still in the mortal realm, the rest had been sent to the shadows. But the problem was with the both guardians they were unconscious. The first had been knocked unconscious when the Egyptian Gods had been destroyed. The other vowed to protect the first but his monsters were destroyed sending him unconscious as far as was known. No one had seen the other guardian fall which made them guess he was unconscious. With no one standing in the way of Zorc he came ever closer. More people fled but most did not make it out. Time was running out, once Zorc crossed the walls of the kingdom their doom was imminent.

Mana looked out from the bouncy, she watched Zorc coming closer and closer. There had to be something they could do, but what! Turning around she gazed down on the unconscious Pharaoh. She had tried everything she knew to revive him but nothing was working. The ground shook again and Mana closed her eyes. There was nothing to be done, they had to flee. Dropping to her knees beside the Pharaoh, she shook his shoulders. But there was no response. A loud crash was heard and Mana knew exactly what had happened. Zorc had broken through the walls of the Kingdom. Time was running out. Not caring about any possible reaction she might get, she raised her hand and stuck the Pharaoh clean across the face. His head snapped sideways and the amethyst eyes opened at last.

"Why did you hit me?" Atem asked, his voice was quiet and hoarse.

"I'm sorry, it was the only way to wake you." Mana replied, helping Atem back to his feet.

"Where is Zorc?" Atem asked.

Mana pointed. Zorc was getting closer and closer. His demonic laughter sent shivers down their spines.

"Come Atem, we have to flee. There's nothing more to do."

"No, this is my kingdom. I shall defend it until my last breath."

"Please Atem, you've done amazingly well but we can't win this one. We have to go!"

"No Mana, I know a way to end this - "

"Listen to me!" Mana screamed, tears swimming, "I don't want to lose you, please come. We can set up home somewhere else. Please, I.. I don't want to lose you."

Atem smiled sadly and held her face in both hands.

"How many people have died? How many homes have been destroyed? I can put an end to all this. Maybe if there is any kindness in the world, I can return. But I cannot just walk away from the people I should protect. I have to do this Mana."

He kissed her forehead before he swept away. He hurried down the grand staircase to the entrance of the palace but a cry made him stop and turn. Mana raced down the steps and flung her arms around him.

"Please, please! Don't do it. I love you too much to live without you."

"I'm sorry Mana, I'll come back if I can..."

A pause.

"I love you Mana. You know me as well as I know myself. I wish this didn't have to happen but it does... I'm always with you my love."

Atem pulled off his cartouche, which he always had tucked away under his cloak, and hung it around Mana's neck. Then their lips met for perhaps their last kiss. It was a deep kiss but did not last as long as it could have. The roar from Zorc broke them apart and the Pharaoh turned away. Their hands were still together but as Atem walked away their clasped hands parted. Mana continued to cry and fell to her knees as she watched him walk away. At the gates Atem turned back to look at Mana for what could be the last time.

"Goodbye my love."

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The golden light surrounded both Atem and Zorc. Both screamed out as the agony of sealing engulfed them. Zorc went first and the shock waves that took him off sent the Pharaoh flying. His body connected to the wooden structure, which was barely standing, and crumbled beneath it. Then silence. It was finished. Zorc was gone. The survivors clambered out of their various hiding spaces and sighed in relief. They embraced their loved ones and mourned the loss of others. But a certain body lying in wreckage of what once was a house caught their attention. They gathered in a circle around the house, but kept a respectful distance. Most if not all were in tears as they gazed down on the figure.

Mana and, the now conscious, Seto made their way through the destroyed kingdom desperately searching for their king. Ahead was a group of people gathered around something. As they approached the people made way so that they could approach. Lying in the remains of a once house was their king. His body battered and broken. Various wounds were gently bleeding. But his eyes were shut and even from their distance they knew they would never open again. Mana broke down again as she rushed forwards and starting pushing the debris off her love. Seto helped her but he stubbornly held back his tears. Once the Pharaoh's body was free Mana held him close, her tears ran down her face and gently dripped onto the Pharaoh's face. She buried her face as she cried and Seto set a hand on her shoulder. Around them all the people got down on to their knees but pointed their left knee forwards. They were showing their respect for their King who had sacrificed his own life to save theirs. Mana rasied her head and gazed down at Atem.

"I shall wait for you my love, I don't care how long. I'll will wait."

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Waah! Why do I always write such sad things! Seriously, what is wrong with me.

Well, I wrote then in 70 minutes... that is a personal record!

There a box below.. would you mind writing something about thing in it. (Subtle enough **SerenePanic** ;).. )

Well, there's only one more chapter to go then its done!

My next fic will be my "long" awaited season 4 fic.. I'm having a challenege planning it... If there is something you want to see happen leave it in the reviews or message me if you want and I see waht I can do :D

Oh oh oh oh follow me on Facebook! :D

Peace!


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to my reviewers! **SerenePanic, Aqua girl 007, Akai22878, daspartanreviewer, AnimeGirl4891, Atem-Fan4eva (x4), butterflybg**

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

Sorry if this is short.. but hopefully if it is short it is

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Seven - Five Thousand Years Old**

His life points fell the zero and he had to suppress the smile the was threatening to cross his face. Yugi was on the floor crying and it would be a little harsh to show the happiness he was feeling on his face. Of course Atem was said to be leaving Yugi, he had never had a brother and Yugi had practically become his brother. But still he could not help that feeling of happiness. Making his way over to Yugi, he placed a hand on his trembling shoulder.

"You did well Yugi well done."

"I was focusing on the game that I forgot.. That now I've won, I've sent you away."

"No, you've opened the door for me. Thanks to you I can join the people who have waited years for me."

Yugi raised his eyes to meet Atem's, "I don't want you to go."

"I know you don't, but I have to."

"But, what if there's no one waiting for you. Then you'll be alone and it will be my fault!"

Atem drew Yugi in for a tight hug. Yugi was trembling and sobbing into Atem's shoulder. Atem gently rubbed his back in a calming manner.

"It's alright Yugi, I know that there are people waiting for me. I'll be ok."

Yugi nodded into his chest, "I'm going to miss you so much."

"We'll never be truly apart. A part of me is with you and vice versa."

Yugi tightened his hold on Atem, he held the latter's breath catch slightly but Yugi did not loosen his hold. After a long time Yugi broke the hug, tears still in his eyes.

"Go. Go to them. I'll be fine and I will never forget you."

Atem smiled at him; "Quite right too."

Yugi laughed and watched as Atem watched towards the eye of Wjdat. Watching as Atem told then eye his name and the door opened. Atem began to walk towards the light, but as he got close the others stopped him.

"Please! Please! You can't just leave us." Tea cried.

"You can't just come into our lives, change them and then leave." Tristan said.

"I guess, there's nothing we can do." Joey sighed, "As much as we want the Pharaoh to stay, we can't make him." He raised his voice so to it reached the Pharaoh, "As much as we want you to stay with us, we've played our part in getting you home. So, go and know this Pharaoh that we will always be your friends."

Atem turned to face them and bowed his head in thanks, flashing them a smile. The others raised their hands in a thumbs up. Then, Atem continued to walk towards the door. At the last moment Atem took one last glance at Yugi, before he disappeared back to the afterlife.

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Everything was white and for a while Atem was convinced that he had just made the worst decision ever. Just as Atem was about the groan in frustration the scene around him dissolved into somewhere so familiar to him. A small stone houses, the packed market place and the large palace standing in the background. On either sides of the streets were people, _his_ people. They cheered as they saw him, screaming to welcome him. He made his way towards the palace as smiled and waved at his people. As he drew closer to the palace he could see figures watching him approach.

He could see a girl, with brown hair. A smile broke on his face as he saw her and he was sure that she had seen him too. This was confirmed as she ran down the steps towards him. Atem ran towards her as well like one of those sappy romantic films Yugi had told him about. But a mattered of seconds later Mana was in his arms, her arms flung around his neck. She let out a small giggle of delight and tears streamed down her face. Tears were running down Atem face as well. Atem stroked Mana's face, brushing a stray hair out of her eyes.

"I told you I would wait." Mana whispered, her arms still around his neck.

"I can't believe you did," Atem said, "You waited five thousand years just for me."

Mana put a hand to his check, "I waited five thousand years for my best friend and my first love."

Finally, after five thousand years their lips met. The people around them cheered as the two kissed. They were back together and nothing would ever break them apart again. This is what defines the true meaning that 'True Love Waits', when two people love one another they will wait for sometimes eternity just to have the chance to see each other again. True love _always_ waits.

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Wow. That was a sappy ending.. I am the new master of cheesiness hah xD

I'm sorry this chapter is not as long as the others are but I hope it was good enough to make up for that..

Yeah, so I hope you enjoyed this fic, this was my first official shipping fic.

Please review final thoughts are much appreciated :D

Well. I do have a new fic up coming. It is my long awaited season 4 fic, well long awaited is not the right word. Anyway, I am currently planning this fic and hopefully it should not be to long until I release the first chapter. In some ways I hope to have it out on 6th Decemebr as that will be a year since I joined but possibly not.. I am planning this fic so fingers crossed...

Yeap, the new fic is called 'Dark Souls' and thanks to Aqua girl 007 for sparking this fic idea. Watch out for Dark Souls coming at someone point in the near furture.


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